Meta Platforms (META) stock was higher today despite the EU warning that charging rival AI chatbots for access to its WhatsApp platform was against its antitrust rules.
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Fee Measure Didn’t Work
Meta brought in the fees back in March, following threats from the European Commission, the EU competition enforcer, that it would introduce interim measures to prevent potential serious and irreparable harm to rivals after Meta blocked them from WhatsApp.
At the time Meta said that for the next 12 months it would support general purpose AI chatbots using the WhatsApp Business API in Europe in response to the European Commission’s regulatory process. A Meta spokesperson said then: “We believe that this removes the need for any immediate intervention as it gives the European Commission the time it needs to conclude its investigation.”
However, the EU today said the remedy was not good enough.
“Replacing the legal ban with pricing that has a similar effect does not change our preliminary view that Meta’s conduct appears to be an abuse of its dominant position, that may seriously harm competition,” said the bloc’s antitrust chief, Teresa Ribera.
META Feels the Strain
Meta has previously said the rise of chatbots on its platforms strains its systems and that other channels exist for AI providers, including app stores, search engines, email services, partnership integrations and operating systems.
An upgrade to the messaging platform last October meant the only AI assistant available to use on WhatsApp was Meta AI, the agent developed by the US tech group, which also owns Facebook and Instagram.
The commission said it intended to order Meta to reinstate third-party AI assistants’ access to WhatsApp under the same conditions as before its October 2025 policy change as part of interim measures pending completion of the probe.
EU regulators are concerned that locking WhatsApp’s more than three billion users into Meta AI could give the company a commercial advantage over rival chatbots. It could still impose interim measures on Meta.
It said it “considers that WhatsApp is an important entry point” for AI chatbots such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, to “reach consumers”.
Is META a Good Stock to Buy Now?
On TipRanks, META has a Strong Buy consensus based on 39 Buy and 6 Hold ratings. Its highest price target is $1,015. META stock’s consensus price target is $855.46, implying a 26.60% upside.
